The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Cercis canadensis, commonly known as Eastern Redbud. The genus Cercis encompasses approximately eight species of deciduous, woody trees native to temperate portions of the eastern and western United States, eastern and central Asia, and the Mediterranean basin. Cercis is a member of the legume family (Fabaceae, or Leguminosae), within which it belongs to subfamily Caesalpinioideae, section Cercideae. Within this family, there are no other genera that are closely related to Cercis, and Cercis is believed to represent a Tertiary relic derived from a now-extinct ancestral genus.
The new cultivar is known botanically as Cercis canadensis and will be referred to hereinafter by the cultivar name ‘Hearts of Gold’.
Cercis canadensis can be found from Maine and southern Canada, west to Michigan, Illinois, Iowa, and Nebraska, where it is referred to as Cercis canadensis var. canadensis and has the common name eastern redbud. On the southern end of its range, Cercis canadensis is native from Florida to Texas and south into northeastern Mexico. Plants found in north-central Texas and Oklahoma are referred to as Cercis canadensis var. texensis (formerly known as Cercis reniformis), commonly called Texas redbud. Plants occurring in southern Texas, northeastern Mexico, and New Mexico are known as Cercis canadensis var. mexicana, commonly called Mexican redbud. In the western range of Arizona, Utah, Nevada, and California, these plants are called Cercis canadensis var. orbiculata (recognized at the specific level as Cercis orbiculata) or commonly referred to as Arizona redbud. Until recently, plants growing in California have been recognized as Cercis occidentalis (western redbud), but this view is now being abandoned among legume taxonomists.
Parentage: ‘Hearts of Gold’ was discovered by the inventor in the spring of 2002 as an isolated seedling of Cercis canadensis (unnamed) growing under a cultivated (garden) setting at a private residence in Greensboro, N.C.
Comparisons with other Cercis canadensis: ‘Hearts of Gold’ is distinguishable from other cultivars of Cercis canadensis known to the inventor and from all other known Cercis taxa by the foliage color. Mature leaves of typical specimens of Cercis canadensis are dark blue-green and dull on the upper surface, lighter beneath. On new growth, most plants of Cercis canadensis bear light green, red-tinted leaves, whereas the new foliage growth of ‘Hearts of Gold’ is orange-red in color. On both the upper and lower leaf surfaces, new foliage color in a typical Cercis canadensis specimen will be light green. In contrast, ‘Hearts of Gold’ bears bright, yellow-green leaves. Further, flower buds of ‘Hearts of Gold’ are produced on one-year-old whips, whereas other cultivars of Cercis canadensis do not exhibit this trait and typically produce buds only after two to three years. Moreover, first-year budded ‘Hearts of Gold’ trees appear to be more vigorous and uniform in growth than similar-aged trees of other well-known cultivars of Cercis canadensis, such as ‘Forest Pansy’ (unpatented), ‘Appalachia Red’ (unpatented), ‘Covey’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 10,328) and ‘Tennessee Pink’ (unpatented).
Asexual reproduction. The new variety ‘Hearts of Gold’ was first asexually propagated under the inventor's direction by grafting budwood at Hidden Hollow Nursery, Belvidere, Tenn. in August 2002. The inventor grew off these first propagules and determined the characteristics of ‘Hearts of Gold’ were stable and were reproduced true to type. The inventor has since determined that ‘Hearts of Gold’ reproduces true to type in all successive generations of asexual reproduction.